Klopp left frustrated as strong Liverpool side fail to get positive result in Augsburg

UPON returning to Germany, Jurgen Klopp said his last memory of his homeland had been Oktoberfest. By the end of last night, just like back then, he would have perhaps had difficulty judging whether his glass was half full or half empty.

Liverpool’s hopes progressing in the Europa League did not suffer a setback as such, but neither did the plan of asking their strongest side to eke out a first-leg advantage play out as expected.

Many of those hoping to have a night off at Anfield next Thursday – just 72 hours before the Capital One Cup final with Manchester City – will find themselves needing to be stripped for duty now after a scrappy stalemate.

If the complications belong to Klopp then Augsburg might consider a tie they billed as the biggest game in their history to be something of an anti-climax.

The Liverpool squad were spotted flying out to Germany this morning ahead of their Europa League match against FC Augsburg on Thursday

Certainly, it was not a night to add credence to the Liverpool manager’s argument that his is a team who can win the competition.

Klopp had named an unchanged side for the first time in his tenure, rewarding the players who dismantled Aston Villa last Sunday with another run-out.

Yet the contrast between the trip to the Midlands and Bavaria could hardly have been starker.

Where Liverpool had been shown a route to goal previously, here it was blocked. Augsburg rolled out the welcome mat, applauding Klopp’s name before kick-off and playing You’ll Never Walk Alone, but then proceeded to try and whip it from under him.

They proved well organised, well-drilled opponents with coach Markus Weinzieri, below, who Klopp regards as having one of the shrewdest tactical minds in the Bundesliga, clearly relishing the opportunity to try and get one over an illustrious rival.

The occasion demanded Liverpool showcase their finesse in the final third, but Daniel Sturridge, starting his first back-to-back games for 11 months, was forced to feed on scraps.

Roberto Firmino did not see enough of the ball and Augsburg right-back Paul Verhaegh continually cramped Philippe Coutinho, who was stationed on the left, for space to stifle his creative spark and render him peripheral.

As a consequence, Liverpool’s limitations were exposed with neither Jordan Henderson nor Emre Can able to exert enough control in midfield during an opening half high on perspiration but low on inspiration.

Augsburg’s leading scorer Raul Bobadilla hit a volley into the ground and over the crossbar before limping off, while Firmino and Henderson conjured efforts on target but both lacked the power to test Marwin Hitz.

The impetus lay with the hosts, who waited until the 45th minute before carving out the clearest chance following a move that started in their own six-yard box.

Out of defence, they raided forward and when substitute Caiuby found Alexander Esswein, he chose to cut inside Kolo Toure before forcing Simon Mignolet into a save.

It was a moment that encouraged the locals to continue whipping up a crescendo of noise, although Sturridge should have ensured silence ensued in the 54th minute. A move of rare quality saw Firmino feed a cute pass back to James Milner, whose low centre was diverted wide by Sturridge.

The chance signalled an overdue period of pressure from Liverpool. An in-swinging free-kick from Alberto Moreno invited Toure to head home, but he missed it and instead the ball ricocheted into the grateful arms of Hitz.

Moreno then tried his luck from distance forcing Hitz to save at the second attempt. It was that sort of night, an evening when everything seemed more difficult than it should have been.